Author(s)
Zachary C. Fridirici, MD
Eric Thorpe, MD
Sam Marzo, MD
Tony Peter, MS
Brian McCalister, MS
Affiliation(s)
Loyola University Health System Department of Otolaryngology
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE:Our aim is to identify the overall trends, diagnosis, and demographics of patients transferred to Loyola University Medical Center Department of Otolaryngology and their correlation to changes in the Health System’s transfer policy.METHODS:We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of patients transferred to the Loyola Department of Otolaryngology over a 3-year period (2013-2015). The date of the transfer, day of the transfer, transfer diagnosis, final diagnosis, rate of intervention, and patient demographics were noted. This data was then analyzed for trends over the 3-year period and correlated with hospital wide policy changes.RESULTS:262 transfer patients were identified from 2013 to 2015 and included in this analysis. The total number of transfers increased from 26 in 2013 to 137 in 2015. The rate of transfers to our institution is growing, whether those patients were transferred from an institution with ENT coverage or not. We noted a large increase in the numbers of transfers with a decreasing rate of any intervention by our department on these patients.50% of the patients transferred over the three-year period were either uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid. CONCLUSIONS: Loyola University Medical Centers Department of Otolaryngology is experiencing an increase in the number of transfers. Meanwhile the rate of immediate intervention is decreasing, which may reflect a trend towards a lower acuity of transferred patients. In the face of a changing financial landscape, a high percentage of the transfers are uninsured or have Medicaid.